Telescopic car covers



July 14; 179 R. EJAMES TELESCOPIC cm covms 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March15, 196'? njvsmoa Roberf E James a H slouch A TTOR NEY July 14, 1970 R.E. JAMES TELESCOPIC CAR COVERS 8 Sheets-Sheet Filed March 15, 1967INVENTOR Roberf E. James W J. H. SLOUGH ATTORNEY July 14, N76 R. E.JAMES 3,529,257

TELESCOPIC CAR COVERS Filed March 15, 1967 a Sheets-Sheet s u M N l WWII I] i I I II. |l|||| j ATTORN M 114; mm K R. E. JAMES 3,520,251

TELESCOPIC CAR COVERS Filed March 15, 1967 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTO RRobe/v idam's BY WW H. SLOUGH A T7'OR/VE Y July 14, 1970 R. E. JAMESTELBSCOPIC CAR COVERS 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed March 15. 1967 H 5 Z w m o-N e W m m MM July 14, 1970 R. E. JAMES 'I'ELESCOPIC CAR COVERS 8Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed March 15, 1967 f 'lko 1.....!

.Fufiy M, R. E. JAMES TELESCQPIC CAR COVERS 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed March15, 196'? m T N E V m Robe/f E. James J, H. 5/. ou H ,4 77'7'OR Y UnitedStates Patent Office 3,520,257 Patented July 14, 1970 3,520,257TELESCOPIC CAR COVERS Robert E. James, Parma Heights, Ohio, assignor toThe Shunk Manufacturing Company, Inc., Bucyrus, Ohio, a corporation ofOhio Filed Mar. 15, 1967, Ser. No. 623,452 Int. Cl. B61d 39/00 US. Cl.105--377 13 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A telescoping hoodstructure for a railroad car in which the hood structure comprises aplurality of sections capable of being telescoped relative to eachother. The sections have wheels and are mounted upon tracks for movementlengthwise of the car, and means are disclosed for locking the endmostsection and for preventing any section from moving lengthwise when theendmost sections are so locked.

My invention relates to improvements in railway car covers and relatesmore particularly to improvements in sectioned sliding covers or hoodstherefor.

An object of my invention is to provide a railway car cover or hood forgondola type cars, fiatcars and opentop cars, special construction cars,etc. wherein longitudinal sections of the cover or hood and sides areadapted to be slidably moved, selectively and easily, to expose anydesired portion or end of the car for loading or unloading.

Another object of my invention is to provide a railway car cover or hoodof the type referred to which may be readily moved manually with but aminimum of effort and which may be safely secured in a desired position.

Another object of my invention is to provide a railway car cover or hoodof the type referred to which will have all sections thereofweather-sealed.

A further object of my invention is the provision of improvements instop means adapted to limit the sliding movement of various cover orhood sections relative to other sections.

A still further object of my invention is to provide maximum loadingspace by the provision of an improved sectioned cover or hood and therelative positioning of the sections thereof.

Yet a further object of my invention is to provide a railway car coveror hood of the type referred to which will be composed of but few parts,inexpensive to manufacture, and highly efficient in use.

Still further objects of my invention and the invention itself willbecome more readily apparent from a perview of the appended description,in which description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, inwhich said drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a gondola type railway carconstructed in accordance with a first embodiment of the presentinvention, the sliding sectional cover or hood of the invention beingshown in closed position, certain underlying portions being shown indotted lines;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, similar to that of FIG. 1, butshowing sections of the cover or hood in telescoped position at one endof the car, the remainder of the car being exposed for loading orunloading;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the car and cover or hood of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a transverse section taken from the line 4-4 of FIG. 2 showingend views of the overlapped cover sections;

FIG. 5 is a section taken along the line 55 of FIG. 3 showing theoverlapped sections of the cover or hood in the fully extended positionof FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to that of FIG. 5, showing the sections of thecover or hood in the retracted position of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged side elevational view of a locking device adaptedto be employed in my invention;

FIG. 8 is a partially sectioned end view of the device of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of a fiatcar constructed in accordancewith a second embodiment of the invention, the sliding sectional coveror hood being shown in closed position;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 9, but showingsections of the cover or hood in telescoped position at one end of thecar, the remainder of the car being exposed for loading or unloading;

FIG. 11 is a transverse section taken along the line 1111 of FIG. 10;

"FIG. 12 is an enlarged sectional detail taken along the line 1212 ofFIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a still further enlarged, longitudinal section taken alongthe line 1313 showing the overlapped sections of the cover or hood;

FIG. 14 is an end view of the flatcar as seen from the left-hand end ofFIG. 9;

FIG. 15 is an end view of the flatcar as seen from the right-hand end ofFIG. 9;

FIG. 16 is a horizontal section, substantially enlarged, taken along theline 16-16 of FIG. 14 showing a top view of a locking mechanism; and

FIG. 17 is a front view of the locking mechanism of FIG. 16.

Referring now to the drawings, in all of which like parts are designatedby like reference characters, and referring more particularly to FIGS. 1to 3 inclusive, a railroad car generally designated at 10 and shown inthese figures is of the open gondola type used in the rail shipment oflarge coils or rolls of sheet metal. The car is provided with side walls20, end walls 21, a platform base 30 and a hood structure 31.

The hood structure 31, with which the present invention is concerned,comprises five slidably telescoping, transversely arched hood likesections, preferably made of steel, and respectively designated 11, 12,13, 14, and 15. The two end sections 11 and 15 and adjacent sections 12and 14 respectively are, as shown, the same length, and the central orintermediate section 13 is, as shown, substantially twice the length ofthe said other cover sections. The hood structure is adapted to open, aswill be hereinafter more fully described, to expose two-thirds of thecar, if necessary. It can also, as described, open to expose one-thirdof the car, and either end of the car can be exposed, as desired. Theend sections 11 and 15 of the hood are provided with devices 16, bestillustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, wherefore either or both ends of the hoodsection may be locked to prevent movement thereof.

Each of the sides 20 of the car 10 is provided with an L-shaped orI-shaped reinforcing member or beam 17 surmounted by a base plate 17awelded or otherwise suitably secured thereto to which three railsupports are mounted: an outermost rail support 18a, an intermediaterail support 18b, and an inner rail support 18c, said rails supports18a, 18b, 18c, carry vertical rails 19a, 19b, and 19c, respectively.Said vertical rails extend the length of the car 10 and support doubleflanged roller bearing wheels 24 mounted on depending brackets 25 and25' of the hood structure sections 11-15.

It might be observed that the hood sections 11 and 15 are of the sameand relatively greatest height, that the sections 12 and 14 are of thesame heighth, relatively less than the heighth of the sections 11 and15, and that the central section of greatest length, i.e. the section13, is relatively of least height whereby the said hood sections may beslidably telescoped and/or disposed in abutting engagement as shown inthe various figures of drawings. Both end sections may be locked intheir end position or only one locked in such position, and the othermoved in abutting engagement therewith. The remaining sections, as forexample, section 12 and 14 and/ or 13 may be disposed within either orboth end sections when the same are in abutting or telescoped relation,as shown in FIG. 2. It will be understood that sections 11 and 15 areadapted to telescope over sections 12, 13 and 14, and that sections 12and 14 may abut and telescope over section 13.

Adjacent the end sections 11 and 15, when these are locked in their endpositions, are positioned stationary end bulkheads 32 which extend intoclose proximity with end walls 21 of the car, as best shown in FIGS. 3and 5, and said bulkheads 32 are secured as by welding or providingother suitable fastening means to secure purlin angle bars 33 to theupper edges of the ends of the car. Bracing angle bars 32 support thesaid end bulkheads 32. At the uppermost edges of the bulkheads 32, an L-shaped purlin angle bar 34 acts as stop and weather sealing means forthe end sections 11 and 15 of the cover, each said angle bar having ahorizontal flange 34 overlapping the outermost ends of said endsections.

The hood sections 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 are generally of skeletal frameconstruction substantially identical in form except for the sizes of thedifferent sections. As best shown in FIG. 4, the smallest scetion 13comprises a plurality of transversely disposed, longitudinally spacedrib weldments 35 (FIG. 1) of generally inverted angle-shaped form. Eachweldment 35 comprises upwardly converging, angle-shaped struts 36mounted at their lower ends upon the wheel carrying brackets and joinedat the upper ends thereof by a horizontal brace 37. Gussets 38 reinforcethe juncture between the struts 36 and the brace 37, and gussets 39reinforce the mounting of said struts to the brackets 25. The struts 36and brace 37 are further provided with generally angle-shapedreinforcement members 36 intermediate the ends thereof. A floor plate orcatwalk 40 is carried on the upper surfaces of the horizontal braces 37and forms a closure at the top of the section 13. Sheet side plates 41are carried on the outer surfaces of the struts 36, and L-shaped sidecovers 42 are carried on the outer side surfaces of the brackets 25 andextend below and under the rail 18c to additionally provide safety meansto prevent the section 13 from leaving its track.

The hood structure sections 14 and 15 are constructed of partscorresponding to those described in connection with section 13, saidsections 14 and 15 having rib weldments a and 35b, respectively (FIG. 1)comprising upwardly converging side struts 36a and 36b, horizontal upperbraces 37a and 37b, upper reinforcing gussets 38a and 38b, lowerreinforcing gussets 39a and 39b, upper catwalk covers 40a and 40b, sideplates 41a and 41b, side covers 42a and 42b, and reinforcement,angle-shaped members 36a and 36b intermediate the ends of the struts andhorizontal braces. The lowermost ends of the rib weldments 35a and 35bare mounted upon wheel carrying brackets 25.

It will be understood that the hood section 12 is composed of the sameparts as the hood section 14 and that the hood section 11 is likewisecomposed of parts identical with the hood section 15 wherefore said hoodsections 11 and 12 will not be herein described in detail.

Referring now particularly to FIG. 5 of the drawings, the rib weldment35b of each of the sections 11 and 15 which is disposed outwardlyadjacent to an end bulkhead 32 is provided with a horizontally directed,channel-shaped extension 43 which extends along both of the struts 36band across the horizontal brace 37b. The channel extensions 43 areadapted to abut the angle bar 34 of the bulkhead 32 with and under aflange 34' of said angle bar, which said flange extends up theconverging sides and across the top of said end bulkhead. The innermostend weldments 35b of the end sections 11 and 15 carry downwardly andlaterally inwardly directed flanges 44 which are adapted to overlap theedges of backwardly turned flanges 45 carried by the adjacent end ribweldment 35a of the section 12 or 14, respectively. The adjacent endweldment 35a carries a channeled extension 46 which projects into thesection 11 or 15 and carries an angle-shaped member 47 having theaforesaid flange 45 for abutting the flange 44.

The center hood structure section 13 carries channel extensions 48 ateither end thereof, said channel extensions 48 being similar to thechannel extensions 46 and having angled-shaped members 49 which includebackwardly turned flanges 50. The inner or centrally directed ends ofthe sections 12 and 14 are, in turn, provided with downwardly andlaterally inwardly directed flanges 51 like the flanges 44, said flanges51 downwardly and inwardly overlapping the ends of the backwardly turnedflanges 50.

From the foregoing it will be readily appreciated that in the fullyextended position, portions of the larger sections 11 and 15 overlap andinterengage portions of the relatively smaller sections 12 and 14 insuch manner as to prevent rain, dust, or other foreign elements fromentering into the hood and that a similar overlapping arrangement isprovided between said sections 12 and 14 and the relatively smallersection 13. It will also be observed that when the largest sections 11and 15 are in the position of FIG. 1 adjacent to the end bulkheads 32,and if secured in such position, none of the sections 12, 13 and 14 canmove longitudinally along the rails since the section 13 is held captiveby the interengaging flanges 50 and 51 and the sections 12 and 14 aresimilarly held with respect to the sections 11 and 15 by theinterengaging flanges 44 and 45. Thus it is not necessary to lock eachsection separately in use of the hood of this invention, but is onlynecessary to lock the largest sections 11 and 15 in order to secure allsections against movement in use of the hood structure 31.

Locking devices for securing the end sections 11 and 15 are provided onboth sides of both of said sections and are all identical in form andoperation wherefore only one such locking device will be described.Referring particularly to FIGS. 7 and 8, each said locking devicecomprises an elongated latch 53 pivoted at one end upon a shaft 54carried by a housing 55 mounted to a side wall 20 of the railroad car10. Each said latch 53 is directed away from the adjacent end bulkhead32, the distal end thereof being provided with a tapered hook 56 adaptedto engage a depending catch member 57 carried by one of the end sections11 or 15. The latch 53 also has a depending arm 58 disposed adjacent tothe shaft 54 and adapted to engage spring means 59 which biases thetapered hook 56 downwardly in the clockwise direction as shown in FIG.7.

An eccentric cam 60 is pivotally mounted upon a shaft 61 below anintermediate portion of the elonagted latch 53, said shaft 61 alsocarrying a handle 62. When the handle 62 is directed downwardly, thelatch 53 rests upon the low point of the cam 60 and is maintained in asubstantially horizontal position, whereby when the associ ated endsection is moved toward the adjacent bulkhead 32, the tapered hook 56can enter the catch member 57 and snap over the edge of a bottom,horizontal wall 57a thereof. It will be noted that at the entrance endof the catch 57, said bottom wall 57a is provided with a bevel 57b tofacilitate the entrance of the tapered hook 56. To disengage the endsections 11 and 15 to allow sliding movement thereof, the handle 62 ofeach locking device 16 is rotated upwardly whereby the high point of thecam 60 is brought against the latch 53 to pivot the same upwardly asshown in broken lines in FIG. 7. This raises the tapered book 56 abovethe bottom wall 57a of the catch member 57 thereby releasing thesections. After the end section 11 or 15 is moved away from the lockingdevices 16, the handle is then rotated downwardly to its full lineposition whereby said locking device is in a position to automaticallyengage the associated hood structure section when said section is againmoved toward the end of the car 10.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that in the presentinvention, according to the first embodiment thereof, a pair ofrelatively short, intermediate sec tions 12 and 14 of the hood structureare adapted to be separately overlapped by separate end sections 11 and15, said end sections being approximately the same length as saidintermediate sections; and that said intermediate sections are adaptedto overlap a relatively longer middle section which, when exposed withinan end section and one of said intermediate sections, is adapted toproject outwardly therefrom; this projecting portion is then adapted, inturn, to be overlapped by a second of said intermediate sections and theopposite end sections, as shown in FIG. 6. It will be readily understoodthat the telescoped hood structure 31 in its most compact condition maybe disposed in the middle one-third of the car thereby leaving the endthirds open or exposed for loading and unloading.

Referring now to the second embodiment of the invention and particularlyto FIGS. 9 and 10, a railroad car generally designated at 70 is of thetype generally referred to as a fiatcar. The fiatcar 70 of FIGS. 9 anddiffers from the gondola type railroad car shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 inthat said car 70 has only a flat bed 71 and no side or end Walls of itsown.

The fiatcar 70 carries a hood structure generally indicated at 72 whichcomprises three slidably telescoping, hood-like sections made of steelor the like and designated by the numerals 73, 74, and 75. Each saidsection extends slightly more than one-third of the length of the car 70and said sections are stepped in size for telescoping within each otherwith the section 73 being the largest section, the section 74 being theintermediate size section, and the section 75 being the smallestsection. As in the first embodiment, the hood structure 72 is adapted toopen to expose as much as two-thirds of the car, if necessary, bytelescoping all sections together i.e., telescoping section 75 intosection 74 and telescoping both sections 74 and 75 into section 73. Inthe fully closed position of FIG. 9, the left-hand end of the largesection 73 .is adapted to abut an end bulkhead 76 and the small section75 is adapted to abut an end bulkhead 77. FIG. 10 illustrates the mannerin which all of the sections are telescoped together to their mostcompact form and position adjacent to the end bulkhead 77 therebyexposing substantially two-thirds of the fiatcar 70 for loading andunloading. It will be obvious that the positioning may be reversed, allsections being moved to the opposite end bulkhead 76.

Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 12, the fiatcar 70 is provided withparallel, laterally spaced supporting I-beams 78 each of which has alaterally outwardly directed extension 78a welded or otherwise suitablysecured thereto to which three rails are mounted, an outermost rail 80a,an intermediate rail 80b, and an innermost rail 80c. Said rails 80a,80b, and 800 are generally U-shaped in section, the webs 79a, 79b, 79crespectively, thereof being disposed vertically and the flanges 81a,81b, and 810 thereof projecting laterally outwardly with respect to thecenterline of the car 70. The lowermost flanges 81a, 81b and 81c arepreferably welded to the extensions 78a, and the uppermost of saidflanges extend the full length of the fiatcar 70 and support rollerbearing wheels 83 mounted on longiutdinally extending, tubular framemembers 84 of the hood structure sections 73-75. Said frame members 84include depending extensions 82 which are disposed on either side ofeach rail to maintain the wheels 83 against lateral movement off thesaid rails.

The small section 75 comprises a plurality of transversely disposed,longitudinally spaced ri-b weldments '85 (FIG. 9), each said weldmentcomprising vertical supports 86 projecting upwardly from and secured tothe frame members 84, upwardly converging struts 87 connected at theirlower ends to the upper ends of said vertical supports 86, andhorizontal brace 88 connected across the upper ends of said convergingstruts 87. The rib weldments 85, other than the endmost rib weldment 85normally disposed adjacent to the end bulkhead 77, are further providedwith diagonal braces 89 (FIG. 11). The outer surfaces of the convergingstmcts 87 and the horizontal braces 88 support a shett covering 90, andover the inner surfaces of the vertical supports '86 there are providedsheet plates 91 (FIG. 9) whereby the section is completely enclosed. Itwill be further noted that side covers 92, similar in purpose to theside covers 42 of the first embodiment, are provided on the outersidesof all of the tubular members 84 whereby the covering of all of thesections is effective to a point below the upper flanges 81a, 81b, and81a of the rails a, 80b, and 80c, respectively.

Hood section 75 is also provided with outer bracing 65 at the endthereof adjacent to the end bulkhead 77 '(FIGS. 9 and 11). Said outerbracing comprises vertical struts 66 which project upwardly asextensions of the adjacent endmost vertical supports 86, the upper endsthereof being connected to horizontal braces 67 which are extensions ofthe adjacent horizontal braces '88. Triangular gussets 68 are disposedat the corners formed by the juncture between the struts 66 and thebraces 67.

The hood structure sections 74 and 73 are constructed in substantiallythe same manner as the section 75, said sections 74 and 73 comprises ribweldments 85a and 85b (FIG. 9) having vertical supports 86a and 86b,upwardly converging struts 87a and 87b, and horizontal upper braces 88aand 8812, respectively. The rib weldment 85a of the section 74 which isdisposed at the end of said section facing the end bulkhead 76 is alsoprovided with diagonal braces 89a similar to the diagonal braces 89*.The outer surfaces of the upwardly converging struts 87a and 87b and thehorizontal braces 88s and 88b support sheet coverings 90a and 90b,responsively (FIG. 9). Sheet plates 91a are provided over the innermostsurfaces of the vertical supports 86a, and sheet plates 9112 areprovided over the vertical supports 86b.

Hood section 74 is provided with outer bracing 65a at the end thereofdisposed adjacent to section 75, said bracing 65a comprising verticalstruts 66a, horizontal braces 67a, and reinforcing gussets 68b. All ofthe outer bracing serves to strengthen the associated hood sections andalso aids in the manipulation thereof as will herein after becomeapparent.

FIG. 13 shows in detail the manner in which the sections overlap and aremade substantially weatherproof. The end bulkheads 76 and 77 areprovided with peripheral angle shaped members 94 having flanges 95projecting inwardly of the car 70. The endmost rib weldment 85b of thesection 73 facing the end bulkhead 76, and the endmost weldment 85 ofthe section 75 facing the end bulkhead 77, are preferably made of boxmembers, and the flanges 95 are so positioned as to be spaced slightlyinwardly from the inner surfaces of said box members. Vertical flanges95a of the members 94 carry resilient sealing lips 96 disposed in avertical plane and projecting upwardly and laterally inwardly wherebythe sides of the said sealing lips abut and seal against the boxlikeframework of said end weldments disposed adjacent to said end bulkheads.Therefore, when the sections 73 and 75 are moved against the endbulkheads 76 and 77, respectively, with the box members of the endmostrib weldments 86b and 85 disposed closely adjacent to said endbulkheads, the sealing lips 96 abut the outwardly directed surfaces ofsaid end weldments to provide a weather seal around the edges of saidend bulkheads.

The end of the intermediate section 74 which faces the end bulkhead 77is provided with an inturned lip 97 carried by the adjacent endmost ribweldment 85a and connected thereto by angled support brackets 98. Theinner end rib weldment '85 of the small section 75 projects slightlyinto the intermediate section 74 and carries a radially outwardlyprojecting stop portion 99 which is generally an inverted L-shaped andaffords a vertical face 100 adapted to abut the inner face of theinturned lip 97. In a similar manner, the end weldment 85b of the largesection 73 which faces in the direction of the end bulkhead 77 has aninturned lip 101 carried by support brackets 102 and adapted to abut avertical face 104 of a stop portion 103 carried by the adjacent end ofthe intermediate section 74. From the foregoing, it will be readily seenthat when the end sections 73 and 75 are locked in the position shown inFIG. 9, the intermediate section 74 is held captively in place, theinturned lip 97 and the stop portion 99, preventing it from rolling in aleft-hand direction, as illustrated, and the inturned lip 101 and thestop 103 preventing it from rolling in a righthand direction. Therefore,as in the first embodiment of the invention, only the end sections needto be locked in place to secure all of the sections against rollingduring use.

The means for locking the sections 73 and 75 t the end bulkheads 76 and77, respectively, is best understood by referring to FIGS. 16 and 17.Said last mentioned figures illustrate a locking device 105 which isused in connection with bulkhead 76 and is identical in form andfunction with a similar lock 105 provided at the end bulkhead 77 (FIG.11) with the exception of obvious adjustments in size due to the factthat the end bulkhead 77 is smaller than the end bulkhead 76 (see FIGS.14 and 15).

The locking device 105 comprises a lever 106 suitably pivotedintermediate the ends thereof to the wall of the end bulkhead 76 bymeans of a short shaft 107. Elongated, horizontally disposed bars 108aand 108b are pivotally connected at upwardly and downwardly angled endportions thereof to upper and lower ends of the lever 106 by suitablepins 106a and 106b, respectively. The arms 108a and 108k project inopposite directions through suitable openings in frame members 109 andsupporting guides 109a and are provided with horizontally disposedconnector members 110a and 11% which are welded or otherwise suitablysecured to the outer ends thereof. The end bulkhead 76 carries mountingbrackets 125a and 125b which are disposed adjacent to the outer ends ofsaid arms 108a and 108]), respectively, and pairs of C-shaped latchmembers are pivoted to said mounting brackets at one end of said latchmembers for pivoting in a horizontal plane whereby the distal endsthereof can be pivoted laterally outwardly into outwardly formed pockets112a and 11211 in the side wall of the adjacent end of the large section73. The pockets 112a and 112b are provided with wear plates 113a and1131), respectively, against which end surfaces 127a and 127b of thelatch members 111a and 111k are adapted to abut to hold the section 73snugly against the end bulkhead 76. The latch members 111a and 111b arepivoted intermediate their pivoted and distal ends to the connectormembers 110a and 110b, respectively, by pivot pins 128a and 12% wherebylateral reciprocating motion of the arms 108a and 108b causes said latchmembers to pivot into and out of the pockets 112a and 1121) against andaway from the wear plates 113a and 113i). Horizontal centering members129a and 12912 are carried by the pockets 112a and 112b, respectively,which said members are so positioned that each pair of latch members111a and 111b is disposed with one of the pair above the level of saidcentering members and one therebelow. Said centering members preventvertical movement of the end sections and assist in guiding said endsections into contact with the end bulkhead.

The shaft 107 carries a handle 114 having a hand grip 114a which saidhandle and grip are disposed on the outside of the end bulkhead 76whereby the lever 106 can 8 be rotated from the dotted line position inFIG. 17 in a clockwise direction as seen in that figure to retract thelatch members 111a and 111k and release the end section 73 for movementlengthwise of the car 70. In the locked position, the handle 114 ispivoted downwardly to a substantially horizontal position and isretained in said position by a generally pie-shaped retainer 116 whichis pivoted about a small shaft 117 above the level of said handle. Theshaft 117 is positioned near the apex of the pie-shaped retainer 116 andso positioned that when the retainer hangs generally downwardly, itretains the handle 114 in the horizontal or locked position. For thispurpose, the outer edge 116a is made in the form of a cam which cams thehandle 114 downwardly thereby forcing the latch members 111a and 111btightly into the pockets 112a and 112b, respectively, and against thewear plates 113a and 11315. The further the retainer is pivoteddownwardly the more tightly it looks the section 73 to the end bulkhead76.

Pivoting the retainer 116 upwardly away from the handle 114 frees thehandle whereby it can be raised manually to unlock the section 73, saidhandle being adapted to be held in the released position by propping itagainst the cam surface or edge 116a in the manner shown in dotdashlines in FIG. 17.

An angle-shaped stop 130 carried by the end bulkhead 76 is disposedadjacent to said retainer allowing said retainer to pivot only farenough upwardly to allow clearance for pivoting the handle 114. The stop130 prevents the retainer from being pivoted counterclockwise asufficient distance to swing away from the handle 114 and assures thatthe major portion of its mass is disposed toward the right-hand side ofits pivot shaft 117, as shown in FIG. 17, whereby said retainer willalways tend to fall toward said handle.

When the hood section 73 is unlocked, it is then free to be moved alongthe rails 80a in the direction of the end bulkhead 77. Referring now toFIG. 11, it will be noted that the gussets 68b of the outer bracing 65bof section 73 overlap the corners of the outer bracing 65a of section 74and that the gussets 68a of said Outer bracing 65a overlap the cornersof the outer bracing 65 of section 75. Therefore, when section 73 ismoved to the right as illustrated in FIG. 9, outer bracing 65 will abutouter bracing 65a and cause section 74 to move to the right also. Ifsection is not closely adjacent to the end bulkhead 77, outer bracing65a will abut outer bracing 65 and cause section 75 to move toward saidbulkhead 77.

It will be readily apparent that the outer bracing works in the reversedirection whereby if the section 75 is moved to the left, the succeedingsections will be carried along with it until all sections are disposedat the left-hand end of the car 70. The sections may be moved manuallyby grasping vertical hand rails 123, 123a and 1231) of the sections 75,74, and 73, respectively, or by mechanical means such as hooking anoverhead crane to one of the outer bracings of the section.

It will be further noted with respect to FIG. 16 that the end bulkhead76 is provided with a suitable horizontal hand rail 119 and a laterallyoutwardly directed vertical hand rail 120. FIG. 15 illustrates themanner in which the end bulkhead 77 is similarly provided with ahorizontal hand rail 121 and a vertical hand rail 122.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention, ineither embodiment thereof, provides a hood structure adaptable formounting on a railroad car of either the gondola type or the fiatcartype wherein a plurality of telescoping hood sections provide top andside protections for cargo carried by the railroad car. It will befurther seen that these sections can be moved at a single level or in asingle plane to a compact condition wherein substantially two-thirds ofthe car is uncovered for loading or unloading or to a fully extendedposition wherein the entire car is completely closed and the cargoprotected against weather, or other damaging elements.

In either case, all of the sections involved can be retained againstsliding movement by locking of the end sections only with respect to theend bulkheads or the car, Further, the hood structure of this inventionprovides not only a roof covering but also extends along the sides ofthe car thereby becoming, in effect, a telescoping portion of the carbody itself.

Although I have described the present invention in connection with twoembodiments thereof, I am aware that numerous and extensive departuresmay be made therefrom without however departing from the spirit of myinvention.

What I claim is:

1. A telescoping hood structure for a railroad car comprising aplurality of hood sections each of which is movable lengthwise of saidcar at a constant level throughout the movement thereof; each saidsection having means extending transversely of said car and enclosingthe top and sides of said car; said hood structure including endsections of like size adapted to be positioned adjacent to the ends ofsaid car when said hood structure is in closed position; a pair ofintermediate hood sections of like size disposed inwardly from the endsof said car, said intermediate sections being telescopic with respect tosaid end sections; a middle hood section disposed generally between saidintermediate sections; said sections having an aggregate lengthenclosing the entire car in closed position; said middle sectionextending substantially one-third of the length of said car and eachpair of said intermediate and end sections, in end-to-end position,respectively, extending substantially one-third of the length of saidcar whereby all of said sections can be moved to an overlapped, openposition whereby substantially two-thirds of said car is uncovered forloading and unloading, said end sections being relatively the largest ofsaid sections in transverse section; said intermediate sections beingsmaller than said end sections in transverse section and adapted totelescope within said end sections; and said middle section beingrelatively the smallest of said sections in transverse section andadapted to telescope within said intermediate sections.

2. A telescoping hood structure for a railroad car comprising aplurality of hood sections each of which is movable lengthwise of saidcar at a constant level throughout the movement thereof; each saidsection having means extending transversely of said car and enclosingthe top and substantial portions of the sides of said car; said hoodstructure including end sections of like size adapted to be positionedadjacent to the ends of said car when said hood structure is in closedposition; a pair of intermediate hood sections of like size disposedinwardly from the ends of said car, said intermediate sections beingtelescopic with respect to said end sections; a middle hood sectiondisposed generally between said intermediate sections and beingtelescopic with respect to said intermediate sections; said sectionshaving an aggregate length enclosing the entire car in closed position;said middle section extending substantially one-third of the length ofsaid car and each pair of said intermediate and end sections, inend-to-end position, respectively, ex-

tending substantially one-third of the length of said can whereby all ofsaid sections can be moved to an overlapped, open position wherebysubstantially two-thirds of said car is uncovered for loading andunloading thereof, said end sections being relatively the largest ofsaid sections in transverse section; said intermediate sections beingsmaller than said end sections in transverse section and adapted totelescope within said end sections; and middle section being relativelythe smallest of said sections in transverse section and adapted totelescope within said intermediate sections, each end of each saidsection which projects into another section having a flange directedbackwardly toward the section to which it is attached and disposedoutwardly beyond said section; and each end of each said section whichprojects over another section having a flange directed inwardly inoverlapping relation to said first mentioned flange whereby saidtelescoped sections are retained against lengthwise disengagement fromeach other, said means for securing said end sections comprising atleast one elongated latch member pivotally mounted with respect to therailroad car; a catch member carried by at least one said end sectionhaving a catch portion; said latch member having a tapered hook portionadapted to engage said catch member by hooking over said catch portionwhen said one end section is moved adjacent to an end of the railroadcar; an end bulkhead carried by the car for stopping endwise movement tosaid one end section; means biasing said latch member into engagementwith said catch member; and means for moving said latch member out ofengagement with said catch member.

3. A telescoping hood structure for a railroad car comprising aplurality of hood sections each of which is movable lengthwise of saidcar at a constant level throughout the movement thereof; each saidsection having means extending transversely of said car and enclosingthe top and substantial portions of the sides of said car; said hoodstructure including first and second end sections adapted to bepositioned adjacent to the ends of said car when said hood structure isin closed position; an intermediate section disposed substantiallybetween said end sections, said intermediate section being telescopedwithin said first end section and telescoped over said second endsection; said sections having an aggregate length enclosing the entirecar in closed position; each said section extending substantiallyone-third of the length of said car whereby all of said sections can bemoved to an overlapped, open position whereby substantially twothirds ofsaid car'is uncovered for loading and unloading thereof, saidintermediate section having means interengaging with means carried bysaid end sections whereby adjacent sections remain partially telescopedin said closed position to provide continuous cover throughout thelength of said car and holding said intermediate section againstlengthwise movement in closed position; and means for securing said endsection adjacent to the ends of said car whereby all of said sectionsare secured against lengthwise movement in said closed position, saidsections having outer bracing means projecting outwardly from an end ofeach said section; the bracing means of said second end section beingcarried at the end thereof disposed adjacent to its associated end ofthe railroad car, and the bracing means of said other sections; saidbracing means of said first end section overlapping the bracing means ofsaid intermediate section transversely of said hood structure, and saidbracing means of said intermediate section overlapping the bracing meansof said second end section transversely of said hood structure wherebywhen said first end section is moved toward said second end section,said bracing means of said first end section engages the bracing meansof said intermediate section and causes said intermediate section tomove over said second end section.

4. A telescoping hood structure for a railroad car comprising aplurality of hood sections each of which is movable lengthwise of saidcar at a constant level throughout the movement thereof; each saidsection having means extending transversely of said car and enclosingthe top and substantial portions of the sides of said car; said hoodstructure including first and second end sections adapted to bepositioned adjacent to the ends of said car when said hood structure isin closed position; an intermediate section disposed substantiallybetween said end sections, said intermediate section being telescopedwithin said first end section and telescoped over said second endsection; said sections having an aggregate length enclosing the entirecar in closed position; each said section extending substantiallyone-third of the length of said car whereby all of said sections can bemoved to an overlapped, open position whereby substantially two-thirdsof said car is uncovered for loading and unloading thereof, saidintermediate section having means interengaging with means carried bysaid end sections whereby adjacent sections remain partially telescopedin said closed position to provide continuous cover throughout thelength of said car and holding said intermediate section againstlengthwise movement in closed position; and means for securing said endsection adjacent to the ends of said car whereby all of said sectionsare secured against lengthwise movement in said closed position, saidhood structure including at least one end bulkhead carried adjacent toan end of the railroad car against which said one end section abuts inclosed position; said means for securing said end sections comprising atleast one locking device carried by said one said end bulkhead, saidlocking device having laterally projecting arms projecting toward theside edges of said one end bulkhead; latch members pivotally mountedadjacent to said side edges of said one end bulkhead by a first pivotmeans for pivoting laterally outwardly in the direction of said sideedges; a second pivot means pivotally displaced relative to said firstpivot means; means for projecting said arms laterally whereby said latchmembers are pivoted in the direction of said side edges; said one endsection having means defining opening therein adapted to receive saidlatch members to lock said one end section in closed position.

5. A telescoping hood structure for a railroad car comprising aplurality of hood sections each of which is movable lengthwise of saidcar at a constant level throughout the movement thereof; each saidsection having means extending transversely of said car and enclosingthe top and substantial portions of the sides of said car; said hoodstructure including first and second end sections adapted to bepositioned adjacent to the ends of said car when said hood structure isin closed position; an intermediate section disposed substantiallybetween said end sections, said intermediate section being telescopedwithin said first end section and telescoped over said second endsection; said sections having an aggregate length enclosing the entirecar in closed position; each said section extending substantiallyone-third of the length of said car whereby all of said sections can bemoved to an overlapped, open position whereby substantially two-thirdsof said car is uncovered for loading and unloading thereof, saidintermediate section having means interengaging with means carried bysaid end sections whereby adjacent sections remain partially telescopedin said closed position to provide continuous 'cover throughout thelength of said car and holding said intermediate section againstlengthwise movement in closed position; and means for securing said endsection adjacent to the ends of said car whereby all of said sectionsare secured against lengthwise movement in said closed position, saidhood structure including at least one end bulkhead carried adjacent toan end of the railroad car against which said one end section abuts inclosed position; said means for securing said end sections comprising atleast one locking device carried by said one said end bulkhead, saidlocking device having laterally projecting arms projecting toward theside edges of said one end bulkhead; latch members pivotally mountedadjacent to said side edges of said one end bulkhead by a first pivotmeans for pivoting laterally outwardly in the direction of said sideedges; a second pivot means pivotally connecting said arms to said latchmembers at a point radially displaced relative to said first pivotmeans; means for projecting said arms laterally whereby said latchmembers are pivoted in the direction of said side edges; said one endsection having means defining opening therein adapted to receive saidlatch members to lock said one end section in closed position, saidfirst pivot means having vertical axes whereby said latch members pivotin a horizontal plane; one end of each said latch member being mountedupon one first pivot means and one of second pivot means being disposedintermediate the ends of each said latch member; said latch membershaving distal end portions adapted to pivot into said openings.

6. A telescoping hood structure as set forth in claim 5: said latchmembers being generally C-shaped and said distal end portions beingadapted to engage said pockets in locked position whereby said one endsection is held against said one end bulkhead.

7. A telescoping hood structure as set forth in claim 5: said means forprojecting said arms comprising a lever pivoted intermediate its ends tosaid one end bulkhead; means pivotally connecting inner ends of saidarms to respective ends of said lever whereby pivoting of said levercauses endwise movement of said arms; a handle mounted rigidly withrespect to said lever for pivoting said lever and pivotably to agenerally horizontal position for moving said latch members into alocked position; a retainer member having off-center pivot meanspivotally mounting it to said end bulkhead above said handle in lockedposition whereby the major portion of said retainer member hangsdownwardly over said handle; said retainer member having a lower edgeportion in its depending position adapted to abut said handle and holdsaid locking device in locked position.

'8. A telescoping hood structure as set forth in claim 7: said loweredge portion 'being in the form of a cam whereby said handle is cammeddownwardly into locked position.

9. A telescoping hood structure as set forth in claim 8: a stop membercarried by said one end bulkhead in the path of movement of saidretainer member limiting pivotal movement of said retainer member awayfrom said handle whereby said retainer member always tends to pivotdownwardly toward said handle by force of gravity.

10. A locking device for an end bulkhead member for securing side edgesof a movable enclosure member thereto, said locking device comprisinglaterally projecting arms projecting toward the side edges of thebulkhead member; C-shaped latch members pivotally mounted at one of theends of said latch members adjacent to the side edges of the bulkheadmember by a first pivot means; said first pivot means having generallyvertical axes whereby said latch members pivot in generally horizontalplanes; a second pivot means pivotally connecting said arms to saidlatch members at points radially displaced relative to said first pivotmeans; means for projecting said arms laterally whereby distal endportions of said latch members are pivoted outwardly in the direction ofsaid side edges; said enclosure having means defining openings thereinadapted to receive the distal end portions of said latch members to locksaid enclosure member against said bulkhead member.

11. A locking device as set forth in claim 10: said means for projectingsaid arms comprising a lever pivoted intermediate its ends to saidbulkhead member; means pivotally connecting inner ends of said arms torespective ends of said lever whereby pivoting of said lever causesendwise movement of said arms; a handle mounted rigidly with respect tosaid lever for pivoting said lever and pivotable to a generallyhorizontal position for moving said latch members into a lockedposition; a retainer member having off-center pivot means pivotallymounting it to said bulkhead member above said handle in locked positionwhereby the major portion of said retainer member hangs downwardly oversaid handle; said retainer member having a lower edge portion in itsdepending position adapted to abut said handle and hold locking devicein locked position.

12. A locking device as set forth in claim 11: said lower edge portionbeing in the form of a cam whereby said handle is cammed downwardly intolocked position.

13. A locking device as set forth in claim 12: a stop member carried bysaid bulkhead member in the path of movement of said retainer memberlimiting pivotal movement of said retainer member away from said handle1 3 whereby said retainer member always tends to pivot down- 1,015,1461/ 1912 Davis et a1 105-377 wardly toward said handle by force ofgravity. 1,099,361 6/1914 Hartland 105377 1,258,314 3/1918 Bruce 105377References Cited 5 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner UNITED STATESPATENTS 337,831 3/1886- Good et a1. 105377 571,577 11/1896 Richards105-377 R. A. BERTSCH, Assistant Examiner

